The Right Time
by CatS81
Summary: Boyd finally works out what he wants...
1. Chapter 1

Grace Foley closed her weary eyes and leaned back in her chair, yawning loudly as she did so. She had been at her desk since the early hours of the morning, reading through files and paperwork and preparing a report for the Cold Case squad's latest case. She sighed as she opened her eyes and glanced at the words on her computer screen. _God, I've barely written a paragraph in the past hour_, she thought. _What the hell's wrong with me?_

A sharp noise startled her from her reverie then and she looked up to see the familiar form of Peter Boyd leaning heavily against her door frame, a deep frown creasing his attractive features.

"How's it coming?" He asked, rubbing a hand across his eyes as he did so.

Grace shook her head, resignedly. "It's not, really."

"Need a hand? I've been told I'm a literary genius."

His statement brought a smile to her face. He always seemed to have that effect on her, despite their recent form. "Really?" She asked, one eyebrow raised. "By whom?"

Boyd moved fully into her office and dropped onto the couch. "Anyone who's ever read anything I've written."

"I've read some of the stuff you've written..."

"All right. Everyone apart from you."

"...and I think 'genius' is perhaps too strong a term."

He grinned. "What do you know, Grace?"

She groaned, returning her attention to her computer. "Not much at the moment, it seems. I know what I want to say, I just can't seem to translate it from my head to my fingers."

"Time to take a break, then?" Boyd suggested, his dark eyes shining.

Grace smiled at him from across her desk. "I think I could be persuaded. What did you have in mind?"

"That new Italian place round the corner."

Grace felt her heart leap at his suggestion – it had been almost a year since they'd been to dinner together - but she did her best to keep her expression neutral. "I don't know, Boyd. Sounds a bit pricey."

"Good job I'm paying, then, isn't it."

She laughed. "What's the occasion?"

"Why does there have to be an occasion?"

_Oh, I don't know...the fact that we've fought so much lately? The fact that you're currently dating another woman? _ Outwardly she shrugged. "It's just unusual for you to offer to take me to an expensive restaurant, that's all."

"Well, we don't _have_ to go there, Grace. If you'd prefer Pizza Hut, you've only got to say."

She held up her hands. "No, no. Expensive Italian restaurant it is."

"Good. Get your coat, then."

Grace grinned broadly and stood up from behind her desk, pulling her coat from its hook as she followed him out of the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The restaurant was decorated in warm, earthy tones, with low-level up-lighting against the walls and candles adorning each table, giving the room a cosy, intimate atmosphere. Grace smiled as they took their seats and Boyd ordered a bottle of red wine. She raised her eyebrows at him as the waiter retreated from the table.

"We drinking, then?" She asked.

He shrugged as he removed his suit jacket. "Thought we might."

Grace's sapphire eyes were shining. "I see. This is a clever ploy to get me over the limit so I can't drive home and have to spend the whole night in the office."

He grinned. "And I thought I was being subtle."

"Subtlety was never your strong point, Boyd."

"Does that mean I have some, then?"

"What?"

"Strong points."

Grace smiled coyly and glanced down at the wine glass whose stem she was fingering, as the waiter arrived to pour the ruby liquid. She lifted her glass and touched it to her companion's.

"Cheers." She said, amusement shining in her eyes.

Boyd shook his head. "Very smooth, Grace."

Grace gave an innocent shrug. "What?"

"Avoiding answering my question."

"I would never do that, Boyd."

"Well, all right, side-stepping it, then."

She smiled and leant against her hand, her head on one side. "You don't really want me to answer it, do you?"

He blinked, the candle light softly reflecting in his dark eyes. "Would I like the answer, Grace?"

"Well, it depends how honest I feel like being, doesn't it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Meaning you aren't always honest with me?"

She shrugged. "Woman's prerogative."

"Ah."

Grace laughed and held up her palms, the universal gesture of surrender. "Okay. Your strong points."

"I'm listening."

"Well, let's see...you're dedicated, committed to your work, loyal..."

He groaned. "You sound like you're describing a dog."

Grace gave him a mischievous grin and sipped her drink. "It's a point of view."

"Grace!"

She laughed. "Look, you've got plenty of strong points and you know full well what they are. You don't need me to spell them out for you."

"Well, maybe I do from time to time."

She looked at him, suddenly serious. "Not by me, Boyd."

He sighed and took a long draw from his glass, letting the silence between them elongate before speaking again. "Grace..."

She held up her hands towards him. "Let's not go there, Boyd. We've both moved on in the last six months, we don't need to hash over old ground again."

He paused again, studying her face as she looked at him, her expressive eyes, the candle light flickering across her skin. _God, did I really hurt you that badly?... _"All right." He said softly.

Grace smiled resolutely, despite the sudden ache across her chest. "Good. Let's look at the menu, then, shall we?"

They sat in silence for a few moments then as they studied their menus and gave their choices to the waiter. Boyd poured more wine into Grace's glass and then into his own.

"So," She opened, after taking a sip from her drink. "Did you want to talk about the case?"

He gave her a lopsided smile and shook his silver head slowly. Grace's jaw dropped open in surprise. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Peter Boyd?"

He laughed loudly. "I _can_ take an evening off occasionally, you know."

"What, safe in the knowledge you're going back to the office afterwards?"

"Got it in one."

Grace tutted and shook her head. "I give up on you, you know."

"Oh, don't. Besides, you were the one who wanted to talk about work, remember?"

She shrugged. "I was just pre-empting you bringing it up first."

He groaned. "Am I really that predictable, Grace?"

She gave another shrug, tucking a strand of dark blond hair behind her ear and leaning once more against her hand. "Well, sometimes. Most of the time you keep me on my toes, though. Even after all these years." _Good God, am I __flirting_

"Glad to hear it. I'd hate to think I'd become boring."

"You may be many things, Boyd, but I don't think anyone could ever describe you as boring."

"Well, thanks, Grace. I think I'll take that as a compliment."

She smiled as he emptied the remaining contents of the wine bottle into their glasses and signalled to the waiter for another as he brought steaming bowls of pasta to their table. They ate in companionable quiet for several minutes, pausing only to sip their wine. Grace could feel its pleasant effects in her bloodstream and she knew her face was flushed. Boyd's dark eyes, she noted with satisfaction, were also becoming slightly unfocussed.

"So, come on, Grace." He said eventually, swallowing a mouthful of food. "We haven't done this for a long time, what's the gossip your end?"

Grace laughed in surprise. "Gossip?"

"Yeah. I'm not above gossiping."

"Since when?"

"Since always."

"What kind of gossip you after?"

He shrugged, his dark eyes twinkling. "What you got?"

Grace balanced her fork on the side of her bowl and leant her chin against interlaced fingers, her elbows resting on the table top. "Well, let me see...Frankie's got a new man on the go..."

"Is it serious?"

"Yeah, seems to be."

"D'you see her a lot then, Frankie?"

"Yeah, at least one a month, for coffee or dinner." She paused, her eyes flickering over his face. "You never really kept in touch, did you, you and Frankie?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No. Not really."

"Why not?"

He paused and when he spoke again his voice was barely a whisper. "I think she blamed me a little bit. For Mel."

Grace felt her heart constrict at his words and instinctively, she reached across the table and took his hand in hers, rubbing soothing circles across his skin with her thumb. "That's not true, Peter. Not for Frankie and not for any of us."

He squeezed her fingers, absorbing her warmth, enjoying their uncharacteristic physical connection. "Thanks, Grace. I appreciate that."

She smiled, the all too familiar fluttering in her chest resurfacing as she felt herself become momentarily lost in the obsidian pools of his eyes. She let her hand remain in his a fraction longer before returning it to her lap.

He smiled widely, attempting to lighten the mood once more. Grace noticed that it hadn't quite reached his eyes. "What about you, then?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What _about_ me?"

"Gossip. That _was_ what we were talking about, remember, before it all got a bit maudlin, there."

"Changing the subject, Boyd. Classic defence mechanism."

He grinned. "Do you not want to tell me, Grace?"

"Tell you what?"

"Whatever it is you're not telling me."

She shook her head, smiling. "You're fishing, Boyd."

His grin broadened. "Too bloody right, I am."

"There's nothing to tell. Really. Apart from my kids, my life outside of work is duller than anyone's."

"Oh, I don't believe that for a second, Grace."

She held his gaze for several moments before laughing and holding her hands up in defeat. "All right! There was...someone a couple of months back."

"I knew it."

"How did you know?"

"I notice more than you think, you know. Those little signs women give out when they're getting..."

Grace's eyebrows shot up. "Boyd! It wasn't like that!"

"Well, come on, then, what was it like?"

"It was a couple of dates, that's all. Nothing more than that."

"Why not?"

Grace's expression was of one of puzzlement. "What's it to you, anyway?"

He held up his hands, grinning. "Nothing. Just showing an interest, that's all."

She paused to sip her drink, trying to gauge his sincerity. "Well, if you must know, I was completely set up by my daughter. He's the father of one of her friends."

Boyd smiled. "Did she miss the mark, then?"

"Oh, not really. Paul's a nice enough bloke...we just didn't really have anything in common."

Boyd drained his glass before speaking again. "So, that's it, Grace? That's the extent of your gossip?"

She shrugged. "I told you I had a boring life, Boyd."

"Well, that makes two of us, then."

Grace opened her mouth to reply, aware that surprise had registered across her features at his statement but Boyd cut across her before she could respond. "So...is Spencer sleeping with Stella now, or what?"

She laughed. "You're full of it tonight, aren't you?"

"Innocent question, Grace."

"_Loaded_ question, Boyd."

"So, what's the answer, then?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The honest answer is, I don't know."

"But you suspect?"

"I don't know, Boyd."

Boyd's eyes were shining cheekily. "They fancy each other, though, right?"

"Yeah, I think that's a fair assumption."

He tutted. "Fraternisation in the work place, eh?"

"I don't think fancying each other constitutes fraternisation, do you?"

"Depends what they're doing about it, doesn't it."

She laughed. "Well, so long as they're not...fraternising on their desk tops..."

He rolled his eyes. "Grace."

"I don't see the problem, Boyd. They're always professional in the office, that's the main thing."

"Yeah, that's true." He conceded gruffly.

"So, that's that piece of gossip quashed as well, then."

He pulled a face. "You're no fun."

She grinned. "Told you."

Boyd returned her smile before emptying the remaining drops of wine into their glasses. "Listen, Grace, d'you want to head back to the office for coffee when we've finished up here?"

Grace gave him a crooked smile. "This another attempt at softening me up so I work late?"

"Yeah, what do you think the caffeine's for? I don't offer it to just anyone, you know."

"Well, in that case, I consider myself privileged."

"Is that a yes, then?"

She laughed. "Yes, Boyd."

"Great."

They both drained their glasses before Boyd signalled to the waiter for the bill. Grace felt the full effects of the consumed alcohol hit her as she stood up and she was aware she was swaying slightly on her feet. She stifled a surprised gasp as she felt Boyd's steadying hands on her waist, warm through the layers of her clothes.

"You all right?" He murmured quietly.

She turned her head to acknowledge his concern, feeling the breath leave her body as she registered his nearness and the presence of his hands against her. "Fine." She said. "It's just been a while since I drank a whole bottle of wine to myself."

He smiled. "You're losing it, Grace. I thought you could drink me under the table."

"I'm just out of practice, that's all."

"Well, I'll just have to take you out again then, won't I. Get you back in the swing of it."

Grace let his statement settle in her consciousness and tried not to let the shock show on her face as they slipped into their coats and out into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just to warn you…Boyd and Grace get a little close in this chapter, please look away now if that's not your cup of tea!**

Chapter 3

Grace sat back against the soft cushions of her office couch, crossing one slender leg over the other towards Boyd, who was sitting beside her, his posture equally relaxed as he nursed a mug of strong black coffee.

"It's the one thing the French do well." He said, indicating his cup and taking a large sip of the steaming liquid.

She smiled. "Good move, hiring Stella, then?"

"Well, yeah, since she's the one who convinced me having a coffee maker in here was a good idea."

Grace looked at him, all too aware he was avoiding the serious undertone of her question. "Boyd."

He sighed at her scrutiny. She had always had the power to dissipate his procrastination. "Yeah. I still think overall it was a good move hiring her. Don't you?"

"Despite everything?"

"Yeah."

"So do I." Grace paused to sip her coffee and when she spoke again, her voice was soft. "Not that she could ever fill the void."

"No. No-one could."

They sat in silence for a few moments then, each alone with thoughts of their deceased friend, before Grace took a breath to speak again, internally debating the wisdom of her question even as the words formed in her throat. "Boyd, can I say something?"

He surveyed her quizzically, his eyebrows furrowed at her unusual reticence. "What?"

"You seem...much more at peace...about Mel these days."

"You mean I'm no longer repressed, depressed and in denial?"

She frowned, pain shooting through her body at his repetition of the exact words she had thrown at him during their most searing argument more than six months previously. "Boyd..."

"I think...seeing her grave for the first time...and everything that led up to that...made me accept her death properly...forced me to deal with it."

"Have you been back to her grave since?"

"Yeah. A few times."

"And how was that?"

He gave a slight smile. "What's that word psychologists are fond of, Grace? Begins with 'c'."

She raised an eyebrow. "There are lots of words beginning with 'c', Boyd."

"You know the one I mean."

She smiled, for once letting him off the hook. "Cathartic?"

He grinned. "Yeah. I just couldn't bring myself to say such a touchy-feely word out loud."

"You're hopeless."

He sobered again, the smile slowly fading from his face. "It helped, anyway. However you like to say it."

"Well, I'm glad. You kept it all inside for too long, Boyd, it's good that you finally found...a medium for releasing it."

He looked at her intensely. "Are you talking about Sarah?"

Grace shrugged. "If you like."

Boyd sighed and drained his mug of coffee before placing it on the floor at his feet. "She...I don't know how to describe it, Grace."

She shook her head. "You don't have to describe it." _It's not like it's any of my business, after all..._

"I want you to understand...that I needed her at the time..." He broke off and ran a hand through his hair. "God, I don't know. We needed each other..."

"You don't have to do this, Boyd..."

"...And it wasn't just about sex...the whole thing was..." He threw up his hands. "That damn 'c'-word again."

Grace gave a small laugh, becoming serious once more as she realised the phrasing of his words. "You're using the past tense."

"Yeah."

"But I...thought..."

"She was what I needed then, Grace. All that shit I was feeling about Mel and Joe...all of my...confused issues with you...She was the external influence I needed to deal with everything." He paused to look at her. "Does that make sense?"

"Well..." Grace broke off to shake her head in bewilderment. "I'm...not sure. You're saying you and Sarah..."

"Oh, come on, Grace. Do I have to spell it out?"

"You're not together any more?"

"We haven't been together for months."

"Oh." Grace was suddenly unable to form further coherent words, her heart thumping against her ribcage at his admission.

"Is that it, Grace? That the sum-total of your reaction?"

"Well...I just...Why are you telling me this, Boyd?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, for Christ's sake, Grace, for an incredibly clever woman, you're being incredibly dense here."

"Am I?"

Silently, he prised the mug from her fingers and placed it onto the floor before moving slowly towards her, his palm gently cupping her face, his fingertips caressing her skin, his thumb tracing circles across her cheek before outlining the full curves of her mouth. Grace could barely breathe as he touched her, her mind swimming, unable to process his actions.

"Boyd..." She managed hoarsely.

"What?" He was smiling as he continued to caress her, his face inching towards hers, amusement colouring his deep baritone at her obvious confusion.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was a whisper, her breath coming in short gasps, her blood pounding in her ears.

"Well..." He had moved closer to her now, his mouth barely centimetres from hers. "I _was_ going to kiss you..."

"But...I mean...why now?"

He shrugged, tracing her lips once more with his thumb, feeling thrills prickling through him as she shivered. "Just feels like the right time. Don't you think?"

"I...Boyd..."

"Grace." His gaze was intense despite the softness of his voice. "Just shut up and let me kiss you, all right?"

She nodded wordlessly as he closed the gap between them, capturing her mouth with his in a searing kiss. In seconds, she was lost in the generous softness of his lips and the thick insistence of his tongue as it explored her eager mouth, hungrily devouring her. She groaned as he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth, teasing with his tongue.

"Oh, God..." She breathed as he planted a series of hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, nipping along her collarbone before finding his way back to her mouth once more, her lips parting enthusiastically to receive him. They moaned simultaneously with pleasure as his hand found her breast, squeezing firmly, trying to caress her through layers of clothing. Grace gasped, his fingers moving to undo the buttons of her cardigan, slipping his hand inside to gain closer access to her breasts, his breathing ragged, his pupils almost completely dilated with arousal. Momentarily, she forced herself to pull away, her face flushed a deep rose, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Boyd..." She was almost completely breathless with a mixture of need and incredulity, electricity crackling through her nerves, a deep ache pervading between her thighs.

"Too much?" He asked throatily, his breathing laboured, intensity in his voice and eyes as his hand slid from her breast to her waist.

Grace looked at him, gratified by his reaction to her whilst trying desperately to get her heart rate back under control. "You could say that." She broke off and sighed, her eyes falling from his and to her lap. "I don't want this to just be a drunken fumble in my office, Boyd."

He gave her a lop-sided grin. "I'm not drunk, Grace."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it'd be a sober fumble then?"

His smile increased, deepening the wrinkles around his dark eyes as he teased her with his voice. "I'd be up for that."

Grace was unable to stop her gaze darting to his crotch at his innuendo, his obvious arousal making the breath catch in her chest, colour flooding her cheeks. Boyd let out a gentle laugh at her reaction.

"Grace, are you blushing?" His voice hinted at incredulity, his eyes twinkling. "And there's me thinking you're a woman of the world..."

Grace sighed deeply and rubbed a hand across her face, as if trying to physically rid herself of her embarrassment. "I just...Not that I'm not flattered, Boyd but...Well, it's been a long time since I've had that kind of an effect on a man, that's all."

Boyd shook his head before leaning forward to kiss her gently on the mouth. "Oh, Grace," he said softly as he broke away, his dark chocolate eyes focussed intently on her sapphire ones, "you have that effect on me all the time. I'm just usually clever enough not to let you see it."

She laughed, relief evident on her face and sending warm shock waves through her body as she took in his words. "I had no idea." She said quietly, genuinely touched by his honesty.

"Well, now you do. So next time you see me crossing my legs when we're sitting together, you'll know why."

Her laughter increased, bubbling out of her, unable as she was to prevent the happiness spilling from her body and into the otherwise silent room. Boyd found her mirth infectious and soon he was laughing along with her, his body finally calming, his blood chemistry regaining its equilibrium, despite her proximity. Momentarily, she sobered once more, blinking and taking a deep breath before addressing him anew. _ I need to know you're not going to hurt me..._

"I meant what I said there, you know..." Her voice was quiet, seriousness in its timbre.

"I know."

"...about not wanting this to be a..."

"A quick fumble. I know."

She sighed. "I'm not looking for a lifetime commitment here, Peter. But I...I do want it to be more than just about sex."

He smiled. "So do I."

"So, we're on the same page then?"

He looked at her intensely. "Yeah. I'd say so."

Relief flooded her body at the ease with which they had suddenly resolved their years of tension and she pulled him towards her, kissing him deeply, passionately, before turning her body and settling back into his arms, his lips nuzzling gently against her neck as her head rested against his shoulder.

"What do you want to do now we've got that straight, then?" She asked eventually, feeling him smile against her skin at her question, his mouth soft, his breath warm.

"I've got one or two ideas." He said between kisses, amusement evident in his voice. "But you probably wouldn't think they're appropriate for an office environment."

Grace smirked. "I'm sure."

"We could go back to my place..."

She gave a small sigh and turned her head to look at him. "I hate to be a bore, Boyd..."

"You mean you don't want to see what my bedroom looks like?"

"You know I do."

"But...?" He prompted.

"But...can't we just stay here for a bit and talk?"

He groaned theatrically, dropping his face into her shoulder. "Are you trying to drive me insane, Grace, or what?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "I thought we agreed this wasn't just going to be based on sex."

"Doesn't mean a complete sex embargo though, does it?"

She rolled her cobalt eyes. "No. But it doesn't rule out talking as a viable alternative either."

"Hmm, talking or sex, eh? What a choice…"

"I'm being serious here, you know. I don't think it'd be a good idea for us to just jump straight into bed with each other. Not yet."

He kissed her neck gently once more before replying, a soft caress of her sensitive skin with his mouth. "All right. Talking it is."

She squeezed the hand that lay across her stomach, grateful for his sensitivity. "Want me to make some more coffee?"

"That depends. Am I going to need it?"

"I'm gonna get you to pour your heart out, Boyd…"

He chuckled. "Then I'm definitely going to need it."

Grace grinned and disentangled herself from his arms before standing up and leaving her office, armed with their empty mugs. She couldn't stop herself from glancing back over her shoulder at his form seated on her couch, her stomach performing intricate somersaults at the mere sight of him, her chest fluttering. _Oh my God, are we really going to do this? A real relationship after all this time? What if it all goes wrong? Could we still be friends, still work together? What if…? _All her lingering doubts vanished suddenly from her mind as he looked up and smiled at her through the glass walls. She felt peace engulf her in an immense wave as she smiled back before walking away towards the coffee maker.


	4. Chapter 4Epilogue

Eve Lockhart strode purposefully into the Cold Case Headquarters, a tall cardboard container of coffee in one hand and several files in the other. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, savouring the calm and quiet of the main meeting room before the inevitable storms of the day could begin. Eve had grown to love the office at six thirty in the morning – its dark stillness and tranquillity were mixed with an almost eerie expectancy as the building awaited its daytime occupants. She smiled, sipping her coffee and turning to head towards her lab before registering the light filtering through the blinds of Grace's office, to her left. Frowning, she stepped towards it, unease pricking the edges of her consciousness as she noted that the door was slightly ajar.

"Grace?" She called softly, pushing the door open. "What are you doing here…?"

The words faded in her throat as she took in the sight before her. Boyd was sitting on the couch, his head lolling back in sleep, his breathing regular with the slow rise and fall of his chest. Grace was lying stretched out against him, one of his arms cradling her as she rested against his shoulder. She stirred briefly as Eve watched, mesmerised, from the doorway.

"Oh my God…" Eve breathed, warmth spreading through her chest and a grin forming on her face as she shook her head in disbelief.

As if sensing the presence of another person in the room, Grace's eyelids fluttered open and she blinked rapidly, rousing herself to consciousness, her face flushing instantly as she registered the form of her friend smiling broadly from the doorway.

"Hi, Grace." Eve said jovially, leaning against the frame of the door and folding her arms, her chestnut eyes twinkling. "Do I even want to know...?"

The older woman took a breath to speak, struggling to sit up against her sleeping companion as his arm squeezed her closer to his body.

"You should be grateful we put our clothes back on." Boyd's deep baritone emanated forth unexpectedly and he opened one eye, a lopsided grin spreading slowly across his face.

Grace's eyes widened and she sat up fully, forcing his arm from about herself. "Boyd!"

Eve chuckled throatily. "Curiouser and curiouser...I never had you two pegged as the type to get down and dirty in the office."

Grace dropped her face into her hands. "Oh, God." She groaned, embarrassment consuming her whole body as Boyd and Eve laughed loudly. "Don't pay any attention to him. Please."

"Relax, Grace." The pathologist said once she had regained control of her mirth. "I've learnt to take most things he says with a very large pinch of salt."

Grace's hands slid slowly from her rose-hued cheeks and she smiled, despite Boyd's noises of protest, as the younger woman continued. "Have you been here all night, then?"

"Yeah..." She replied, her eyes flickering to Boyd. "Suppose we must have dozed off."

He yawned. "Like a couple of old farts. Can't take the pace anymore."

Eve grinned. "Well, I wasn't going to say that."

Boyd paused before speaking again and he stood up slowly, pulling Grace gently to her feet with him, his expression sobering as he did so. "Eve..." He began hesitantly, deliberately.

Eve shook her dark head to pre-empt his words and held up her hands. "You don't have to say anything, Boyd. My lips are sealed."

"We're just not ready to..."

"No, I know. I understand."

Grace smiled at her friend. "Thanks. I..._we_ appreciate it, Eve."

She returned the smile warmly, genuinely thrilled by the happy glow radiating from the couple in front of her. "Well," She said, "I'd better get on. I've got my latest results from the body farm to process so..."

Boyd grimaced. "At six thirty in the morning?"

Eve shrugged. "It's as good a time as any."

"If you say so."

She smiled broadly, her eyes shining as she turned to walk away. "I'll see you two later."

Boyd slipped an arm about Grace's waist, dropping a kiss to the top of her head as Eve's face reappeared at the doorway once more.

"Can I just say something?" She asked, almost hesitantly. "Before I promise to drop the subject forever?"

Grace frowned slightly, the expression marring her delicate features and she felt Boyd's body stiffen infinitesimally at her side. "What?"

"Well...if you don't mind me saying so..."

Boyd sighed at her apparent reticence. "Come on, Eve, just spit it out. If you've got something to say, some problem with this, then just..."

A broad smile broke suddenly across Eve's face, her eyes sparkling with happiness as she stopped her boss mid-flow. "I was just going to say...It's about bloody time."

Grace felt relief flood her body at her friend's statement of support and she began to laugh, her shoulders shaking, joy releasing itself unbounded from her soul. Momentarily, Boyd's reaction began to match hers and he pulled her closer to his body, enveloping her completely in his arms as Eve slipped away, her deep laughter reverberating around the walls of the main meeting room as she moved towards her lab.

Slowly, their laughter began to subside and Grace placed her palms flat on his chest as she spoke.

"Want to head home, then? I could do with a shower before facing the day."

Boyd raised his eyebrows. "One each or...?"

She shrugged, stretching up to kiss him slowly, suggestively, on the lips. "Not necessarily."

He grinned widely. "That's the best idea you've had all night."

"You'd better keep up, then, Boyd." She said, her sapphire eyes shining as she began to move out of the office. "I think you'll find I'm full of them."

He laughed joyously, his heart light, his future suddenly fantastically full of promise as he picked up his jacket and followed her out of the building and into the crisp, still morning air.


End file.
